Liquid-display apparatus



Nov. 25, 1930" F. G. STANFORD ET AL LIQUID DI SPLAY APPARATUS FiledSept. 9. 1929 Jay. I

Patented Nov. 25, 1930 ASSIGNOR 'ro GEORGE r1. HYLAND, or nos AenLEsfcaLIFoaivrA "rirouIn-nIsrLAY' PPARATUS Application filed September9; 1929. s r al Nb. 3913144; I

Thehereinafter described invention relates to liquid display apparatusand deals more particularly with apparatus of the class used to attractattention by displaying turbulent liquid 'vvithin a transparentcontainer.

Our inventionin its entirety contemplates an advertising medium,Wherein'a liquid,

7 preferably colored, is intermittently. forced from a containerreservoir intoand out ofa transparent container. One lntention of thisinvent on lStO further helghten the effectiveness of this displaybyzcausingthe liquid to be agitated idurin g substantially the entirecycle ofoperation; We are aware that cer taintypes of display apparatusofthischaracter fiause the liquid to be agitated during a part of thecycle of operation, but; insofar as we know, there isno apparatushandling a liquid inthe vvayvve contemplate that does not haveaprolonged quiescent periodduring a certain part of the cycle ofoperation. Accordingly, it is an object ofthis invention to provide anapparatus of theIforegoing char .acter wherein the agitation of the:liquid is practically constant during {the entireperiod of operation ofthe device.

Another feature of this invention resides in the nae'ans of actuatingthe device; the

means in this instance" contemplating continuously operatedifluidpressure means. It

is Well known in the art of dispensing liq juids that fluidpres'sureactuating means is available" in a great many places V whereFother means, such as? vacuum actuating "means, is i Therefordf in prderto take ffu'll' adjvaritage of'thecus mary equipi'nentin bever ay (5'ablishinents it is an object of Y 'tion tdfprovi-de an; apparatusthat beactuated byfluidipress'urel} ce thief-invention contemplates anad:vertisingi medium tlia'tiis intended 'to be o grated y aaicancontinuously; ai s:- m; in a t a ving Ipfarts, and these ofthesiinpljest and 1 tofprfovide an gapparaths'having' fevv moist ruggeclonstructim commensurate with the'p'iirpose' aadnsflfth devme; jlntilizing i fl 'id; pressure as any actuating fenabled tofprovide'an appa'a': tuskif f evv p ts and'iri'this 'invention wefinf tendte havenooutside va1ves;-nor'ftiming mechanism of the sort sometimeseinployed fin vacuum actuated apparatus. Itis, therefore; an object ofithisinvention to incorpo;

rate all valves and controllingpartsinto a single piece of apparatusandthus have but one outside connection; that is, the pressureconnectionforactuating the apparatus.

Our invention is carried into: effect by the container with meansbyWhich' liquid is forced from said reservoir by fluid pressure into saiddisplay container and operable :to allow the liquid to returntosaidreservoir;

the organization being-arrangedin a-rnanner to provide agitation of theliquidsubstantially throughout the entire operation of the device."WVith the foregoing objects in vieyv, yto'- gether withsuch otherobjects and advantages as may subsequently appear the invention residesin the parts and in the come bination construction and arrangement ofpartsherieinafter described and claimed and illustrated by Wayaofexamplein the accom panying dravvings,i11 WhlChF-f I Fig. 1 is a vertical crosssection of the apparatus; p "Fig. 2 is horizontal sectionas seen online'2 2 of Fig.1;

v Fig.6 diagrammatically shovvs v the operaprovision of acontainerreservoirfor liquid to be displayed andwa transparent displaytion of the device in its first stage or just as the display containerisstarting tof fill;

" Fig; tfshe'vvs the same 1 in t the second stage withfthe liquidturbulentyf Fig. 5 shows; the same inthe thirdstage asithe,; displajcontaineris emptying; j a; a Fig. 6-shoWsjthesame at the end of thecycle and as functioningr'prelirninary to the V first stageoperhatiorisheenip Fig.3.

"Referring to the drawlngs more speeifi cally, indicatesdisplayjcontainen and Bdenotesa-re'servoir carried-upon a suitablesupport Cl The foriri fandshape-of the reservoir is notinaterial to thisinvention, eon se quently this invention is intended to includereservoirs of all shapes and suitable 'materials, as Ewell as display'containe'rsl; Of all shapes and of i any suitable material that issuificiently' transparent to" suit eurispurpose.

'8 of the container A into the reservoir B and affording a support forthe display container.

As a means of insuring a leak-proof conneetion between the container Aand the reservoir B, a soft rubber ring 11 is wedged into the opening 10around the neck 8 of the container. The opening 10 is made of sufficientsize to admit a flange 12 on the neck of the container A being passedthere through, and the rubber ring is formed of such thickness as tofill the space between the neck 8 and the margin of the opening 10 andto seal the connection.

The container A is provided with'a small vent aperture 13 preferablylocated in the top of the container for the purpose of relievingentrapped air as the container fills which aperture may be very smalland it is preferably made as a V-shaped opening with the apex of the Vpenetrating the interior of the container; the purpose of thisarrangement being to prevent liquid from escaping through the ventaperture by occasional splashes of the turbulent liquid within thecontainer. Mounted on the neck 8 of the container A, is a plate 14having apertures 15 and extending through the plate 14 and aflixedthereto is a vertical tube 16, the lower portion of which extendsdownwardly to within a short distance of the bottom of the reservoir Band opens to the latter at 17 and the upper portion of which projectsupwardly into the display container and opens thereto at 18. V

The reservoir top 9 is in the form of a cover which is here shown asseated on the upper margin of the receptacle and as secured in placethereon by a ring 19 which is screwed on the receptacle and has aninturned marginal flange 20 which engages the cover or top 9 to hold thelatter in place. The pres sure actuating medium, in this instance airunder pressure, is admitted to the top portion of the closed reservoir Bthrough an inlet 24 which is shown connected to a flexible hose 25 thatleads to a suitable source of air supply, under pressure. Since thesource of air supply does not enter into this invention no ineansofproviding the same is shown. It is obvious that if no local source ofair under pressure is available a small compact unit may be installed tosupply any desired quantity.

Means are provided for alternately closing and opening the apertures 15in the plate 14 operable to automatically control the delivcry of liquidfrom thereservoir to the con tainer which means comprises a float valveI) here shown as embodying a cork float 26 re eiprocably mounted 011 thetube 16 and having a gasket 27 of suitable material mounted on the uppersurface adapted to seat on the underside of the plate 14.

Extending through the top 9 closely adjacent the external circumferenceof the flange 14 is a vent tube 29 communicating with the atmosphere.The lower end of the vent tube 29 is arranged to extend to the plane ofthe underside of the plate 14 and the float valve D is designed andadapted to close the lower end of the vent tube 29 simultaneously as itseats on the plate 14 and closes the mouth of the container A. The venttube 29 is mounted for vertical adjustment on the top 9 so that itslower end may be positioned in proper alignment with the underside ofthe plate 14 for which purpose the vent tube 29 has a threaded portion30at its upper end screwed into engagement with an internally threadedopening in the top 9; the upper end of the vent 29 being formed with akerf 31 for the reception of a screw driver or similar tool foreffecting rotation of the vent tube 29 to advance or retract the latteron the top 9. As a means for confining the travel of the float valve Dto a portion of the length of the tube instead of substantially theentire length thereof a stop 32 comprising a spider is affixed in thereservoir B and through which the tube 16 slidably extends. Thisarrangement also operates to prevent the float valve D from descendingto the lowermost end of the tube 16 and obviates any possibility of thefloat valve becoming locked over the lower end of the tube.

The aperturedplate 14, with the tube 16 a'tflxed thereto, is here shownas demountablv attached to the lower end of the neck 8 of the containerby bolts 33 which have their heads countersunk in the plate 14 and havetheir threaded shanks extending through marginal slots 34 formed in theflange 12; nuts 35 being screwed on the bolts and seating on the upperface of the flange 12 in such mam ner as to clamp the plate 14 againstthe neck of the container. By this construction the container with theapertured plate and the tube 16 may be removed from the reservoir bylifting the display container therefrom.

In the operation of the invention the reservoir B is filled with asuitable liquid to a level at which the float valve closes the mouth ofthe container A and the tube 29. After inserting the container A in itsinverted position, air under pressure is delivered into the reservoirabove the liquid therein through the hose 25 and the inlet 24. Thepressure forces the liquid up through the tube 16 into the container Ain the form of a fountain as illustrated by Fig. 3. When the liquidaccumulating in the container reaches a level above the upper end of thetube 16, the liqthe evacuating liquid.

uid is agitated and rendered turbulent by flows back through theaperture 15 into the reservoir B.

During this stage it is observed that the vent tube 29 is open to theatmosphere and that the pressure entering from the inlet 24 is spentwithout being confined to any work. The liquid perforce of gravitydrains out of the container A and in so doing is rendered turbulent byairrushing in through the neck of the jar A to fill in part the spaceleft by the aperture 13 which is provided to release entrapped air asthe container is filled, but which is not great enough to supply asuflicient amount of air during the emptying of the container. As thecontainer A emptles,

the liquid rises in the reservoir B until the float valve D again.closes the mouth of the container A and the vent tube 29, and the cycleof operation starts again. r

In Fig. 3-is diagrammatically illustrated A the start of the fillingstage, and in Fig. i

an intermediate condition of the filling stage, while in Fig. 5 is shownan intermediate stage otemptying) of the display-container and in Fig. 6the eginning of the refilling stage. It will be observed that in thefilling and emptying stages the turbulence occurs; that in Figs. 3 and 4it is caused by inrushing l1quid, but that in Fig. 5 the turbulence iscaused by inrushing air.

' While we have shown a specific embodi.- ment of our invention we areaware that certain modifications and refinements may be made therein. Wetherefore reserve the right to make such alterations as do not departfrom the scope of the specification nor the purview of the appendedclaims.

VJ e claim: 1 i i 1. In a liquid display apparatus, a reservoir adaptedto contain a liquid, a display container invertedly communicable withsaid reservoir, float valve controlled means operable by liquid in saidreservoir for causing intermittent flow of a liquid from said reservoirto said container when fluid pressure is developed in said reservoir,andmeans controlled by' said valve for developing fluid pressure in saidreservoir.

2. In aliquid display apparatus, a reservoir adapted to contain aliquid, a display container invertedly communicable with said reservoir,float valve controlled means operable by the rise and fall of liquid insaid Mention is made of reservoir for causing" an alternate flow ofllquld to and from sald reservolr and said container when fluid pressureis alternately developed and negatived in said reservoir,

and means controlled by said valve for al ternately creatingandexhausting fluid pres sure in said reservoir.

3. In a liqu d dlsplay apparatus, a reservoir adapted-to contain aliquid, a display container invertedly communicable with'said reservoir,means forpadmitting fluid under pressure to saidreservoir, means forexhausting fluid pressure from said reservoir and valve means forautomaticallycontrolling the flow of liquid back and forth between saidreservoir and said container when fluid pressure is alternatelydeveloped and negatived in said reservoir, and means controlled bysaidvalve whereby fluidlpre'ssure is alternately developed and negativedin said reservoir; said valve being actuatedbyrise and tall or liquid insaid reservoir and container.

4. In a liquid display apparatus, a reservoir adapted to contain aliquid, a display container having an jopeningleading downwardly intosaid reservoir,.a tube having an open end in said conta ner and theopposite open end in said reservo r, a float valve asso ciated with saidcontainer opening for cover.-

ing and uncovering said opening and for causing liquid to flowthroughsaid tube into said container when said valve is in position to coversaid container openlng and when fluid pressure is applied to saidreservoir,

means tordirecting fluid pressure to said reservoir and a vent in saidreservoir. nor-, mally closed by said float valve.

5. In a liquid display apparatus, a reservoir, a display containerhaving an. opening leading downwardly into said reservoir, a tubeextending from said reservoir intosaid display container, a float valvereciprocably mounted on said tube arranged to close the lower opening ofsaid display container-fat a predetermined level of liquid in saidreservoir, means for directing air under pressure into said reservoir,and a vent controlled by said float valve for exhausting air pres surefrom said reservoir.

6. In a liquid display apparatus, a reser} voir having a fluid pressureinlet and a vent said reservoir, a valve arranged to close said"communicating with the atmosphere exteopening and said vent on liquid insaid res- 1 ervoir reach ng a predetermined level and a tube leadmgiromsaid reservolr into sald container through which liquid from theres-. ervoir may be delivered to the contamer on flu1d pressure beingdirected 1nto the reservoir and said tube serving when liquid in thereservoir falls below the lower end thereof reservoir.

.to equalize pressures in. the container and A. a

7. I11 a liquid display apparatus, a reservoir, a display containerhaving an opening leading downwardly into said reservoir and having avent aperture, a vertically adjustable vent tube in said reservoir, avertical tube affording communication between said reservoir and saidcontainer, a float valve guidedon said vertical tube arranged tosimultaneously close said opening and said vent tube, and means fordirecting air under pressure into said reservoir.

8. In a liquid display apparatus, a reservoir, a cover thereon having acentral opening, a vent tube projecting downward through said cover, adisplay container having an open ended neck, said container beingdisposed with said neck extending through the opening in said cover andcommunicating with said reservoir, a vertical tube carried by saidcontainer extending upwardly into the container and downwardly into thereservoir, a float valve guided on said vertical tube arranged to closesaid vent tube and the open ended neck of the container, said reservoirbeing formed with a fluid pressure inlet and said container being formedwith avent.

FORREST Gr. STANFORD. GUY BAKER.

